User Cannot Log On to LAN Because of RAS Logon Failures

ID: Q177125

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information on how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" online Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" online Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to log on to your local area network (LAN), you may receive the following error message:

Unable to log you on because your account has been locked out, please
contact your administrator.

NOTE: This error may occur even though you have not previously failed any logon attempts.

CAUSE

With the Account Lockout feature in Windows NT enabled in User Manager, unsuccessful attempts to log on to the network through a Remote Access Service (RAS) connection will trigger the lockout. This prevents you from logging on to the LAN.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 or Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

This fix introduces a new feature called Remote Access Account Lockout Manager (RAALM), which resolves the above problem by separating the two lockout mechanisms. By making the RAS lockout count lower than the Account Lockout, failed RAS logon attempts will not affect a user on the LAN from logging on to the domain. This is done by the RAALM revoking the dial-in permissions of the user.

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" online Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" online Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

After you have applied the above fixes, follow these steps:

If your primary user account database is on the RAS Server, skip to Step 2. If not, follow these steps:
1. Install the Remote Access Account Lockout Helper service by running Raslock.exe at a command prompt.
2. In Control Panel, open Services, and then select Remote Access Account Lockout Helper, and click Startup.
3. Click Log On As This Account and enter an account and password that has appropriate permissions to edit user accounts, such as Administrator or Account Operators.

Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe or Regedt32.exe).

Go to the following registry subkey:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteAccess\Parameters

Edit the value MaxDenials to the number of consecutive bad password attempts before locking out the account.

NOTE: The default value of 0 disables RAS account lockout.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 4.

Keywords : kberrmsg kbnetwork NT4SP4Fix ntras kbbug4.00 ntnetserv kbfix4.00.sp4 NTSrv
Version : WinNT:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug